Randi/JREF under scrutiny

Umberto Cocopop wrote:
It looks like someone's doing a bit of research into the charity status of the JREF.

More recently I’ve begun to wonder about his educational foundation, the JREF, which claims tax exempt status in the US and is partly dependant on public donations. I wondered what actual educative work the organisation - which between 2011 and 2013 had an average revenue of $1.2 million per year - did. Financial documents reveal just $5,100, on average, being spent on grants.

There are some e-books, videos and lesson plans on subjects such as fairies on their website. They organise an annual fan convention. James Randi, over that period, has been paid an average annual salary of $195,000. My requests for details of the educational foundation’s educational activities, over the last 12 months, were dodged and then ignored.

Looks like there's more trouble at the mill for James Randi. On the first of September he suddenly announced that the Los Angeles office of his organization was closing down; all operations have been shifted to its national headquarters at Falls Church, Virginia. This change was effective immediately. The James Randi Educational Foundation was established in 1996 to administer the works of James Randi, one of the world's oldest and most prominent Skeptics. It manages applications for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge and holds an annual conference in the USA, as well as abroad sometimes as well, called The Amazing Meeting!. I've been to the 2010 TAM London myself, see: http://hpanwo.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/tam-london-2010.html.

Then the announcement was made very unceremoniously that the JREF was radically downsizing; its LA office was axed and all the staff there were being laid off. The notice also mentioned in an equally causal tone that its president DJ Grothe was no longer associated with the Foundation and that James Randi was coming out of retirement to be temporary acting president, just like that. It didn't say whether Grothe was being sacked or resigned of his own accord, although he was always a controversial character on the Skeptic circuit and few will mourn his dismissal, if that's what it was, see: http://web.randi.org/home/los-angeles-office-closed. Soon afterwards, the JREF Forum was disaffiliated and it continues today under the name of the International Skeptics Forum, see: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/index.php.

The convention began in 2003 in Fort Lauderdale, with 150 people in attendance, including staff. This year, it attracted more than 1,000 skeptics from as far away as South Africa and Japan. Often male and middle-aged, and frequently wearing ponytails or Tevas or novelty slogan T-shirts (product of evolution; stop making stupid people famous; atheist), they came to genuflect before their idol, drawn by both his legendary feats as an illusionist and his renown as an icon of global skepticism.

JREF Status

9/1/2015

 
Since James Randi's retirement earlier this year, the Board has considered how to continue the Foundation without his direct involvement.

The Board has decided that it will convert the foundation into a grant making foundation.

Starting in 2016, we will be making grants to non-profit groups that we believe are promoting activities that encourage critical thinking and a fact-based world view. We expect to make a small number of grants each year totaling approximately $100,000 per year. We will NOT accept suggestions, applications or proposals for these grants. We hope they will come as a pleasant surprise to the recipients, just as Randi's MacArthur foundation grant was a pleasant surprise to him.

As we will only be making grants in the future, we think it appropriate to stop accepting memberships and donations. Any donations received before December 31, 2015 will be tax deductible.

We plan on continuing the Million Dollar Challenge as a means for educating the public about paranormal claims, but the process for consideration of claims has been changed effective September 1, 2015.  No application submitted under the previous procedures or relying in whole or in part on the previously published terms of the Challenge will be considered.

Over the years, we have spent a great deal of time dealing with claims ranging from yet another dowsing claim to some VERY eccentric and untestable claims. The overwhelming majority refused to fill out the application or even state a claim that can be tested. Some of them show up in person and demand to be tested while they wait. We can no longer justify the resources to interact with these people.

Effective immediately, JREF will no longer accept applications directly from people claiming to have a paranormal power. Previously available Application Forms shall not be used and will be rejected without any review of the contents. We anticipate providing minimum required protocols for the preliminary test early next year. No one should make any effort to pursue the Challenge until those minimum required protocols are issued. The only exception is that any established psychic may contact JREF via email to be tested directly (preferably with an independent, third party TV crew.)

It's been a great nineteen years and we thank you for your interest and support.

The Board of Directors of
The James Randi Educational Foundation

Chip Denman and Rick Adams